Top 10 small garden ideas

Plenty of us fancy ourselves as the next Monty Don or Charlie Dimmock, but what do you do if you only have a garden the size of a handkerchief?

The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to make the most of your outside space, however small it is. Here are our top tips to transform your tiny garden into a peaceful and welcoming retreat.

1. Break it up

If space allows, break your garden up into small sections, perhaps using trellis or an archway, so that visitors feel like they're going from one area to another. You can also create raised beds in certain parts of your garden, as this will also give the effect of there being lots of different spaces.

2. Install outside lighting

Clever use of lighting in the evenings can also help make your garden seem much bigger. Using lights on different levels can work well, and if you're on a budget, LED lighting lasts for a long time and is cost-effective to use. Always use a professional electrician to help you install lighting.

3. Bring the inside out

When the weather is warmer, brighten up your garden with the use of colourful pillows on benches and outdoor rugs, giving it a Mediterranean feel.

4. Don’t stop at the garden

You don’t have to confine your green-fingered efforts to the back garden alone. Invest in some window boxes and plant colourful flowers which will brighten up your exteriors. Outside the kitchen window is an ideal place to plant your own herb garden so that you have fresh herbs to hand whenever you need them.

5. Use lots of different size planters

Planting in lots of different size pots and planters can give your garden a sense of perspective. Use all sorts of shapes and sizes and where they're against walls add trellis behind them so to support any flowering vines you might have planted.

6. Use mirrors

Mirrors are a really clever way to create the illusion of space in a small garden, and can also add light to a dark space. Many garden mirrors are designed to look like windows and can look particularly good if you have a large wall at the end of your garden. Using lots of plants around the mirror can help it blend in to the surroundings. You could even add a path leading up to your mirror, so that it looks as though there is something beyond the end of your garden.

7. Be clever with pergolas

You can make your outside space feel like an extension of your home by putting in a freestanding pergola. Plant pretty climbers over it and you’ll have a lovely outdoor seating area. You could also drape some solar-powered fairy lights over the structure to make your garden feel magical.

8. Make pathways

Making a pathway in your garden, however small your outside space is, can help it feel much bigger, particularly if the path curves as this will give visitors the sense they're walking round a larger space. Sounds crazy, but it’s proven to work.

9. Revamp your shed

If an ugly shed is taking up most of your garden, try and incorporate it into your design by giving it a lick of paint and then growing climbers up it.

10. Hide unsightly bins

The only place many people have to store their bins is the back garden, but you can easily conceal them with a wooden or willow screen. Many of these have hinged panels so you can get easy access to your bins without having to move the whole screen.

Support

Company

Follow us

Direct Line general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited. Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ Registered in England and Wales No.1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Registration number 202810. The Financial Services Register can be accessed through www.fca.org.uk.

Things you need to know about Over 50s life insurance:
Premiums stop after your 90th birthday but you still enjoy cover for the rest of your life. In the first year, if you die from natural causes we will refund any premiums, or if you die as a result of an accident, we will pay your cash sum. After the first year regardless of the cause of death we will pay your cash sum. Depending on how long you live, the total sum paid in premiums may be more than the cash sum payable on death. If you stop paying your premiums before the end of your policy your cover will stop 30 days after your missed premium and you won’t get anything back.
This isn’t a savings or investment product and has no cash value unless a valid claim is made. Inflation will reduce the buying power of your cash sum in the future.